Mexico: labelling of imported pork required

Mexican pork breeders have demanded the Ministry of Commerce to approve
the labelling of porcine products and by-products from the United States and
other countries.

The aim is to give food quality guarantees to consumers,
since fresh Mexican products compete in the high-quality domestic market with
frozen food from abroad.

The Confederation of
Mexican Pork Producers (CPM) said that it is not seeking a ban on imports of
pork, as long as these do not undermine the Mexican pork production.

Risen importsAlejandro Gonzalez Ramirez, director of Economic Studies of the CPM,
explained that imports have risen between 18 and 20%; in 2007 these amounted to
326,000 tonnes and from January to May this year they were as high as 139,000
tonnes, i.e. 31,000 tonnes more than the same period last year.

He added
that the support of 100 pesos per invoiced pig, announced in January and
formalised in April this year, as part of the aid programme for the pork
production, has not reached the producers, due to bureaucracy in the Ministry of
Agriculture. There is a delay of 4.5 to implement these programme issues, he
said.